Ryuge, Crew of Misfits
by Ryuge
Summary: Noel had a tragic past. Arima was raised by jungle cats. Together these two girls plan to gather a crew and find the legendary One Piece. Along the way they shall encounter crewmates and marines. Will they be able to make it? Read to find out. Warning, there will be blood, guts, gore, and shipping. Lots of shipping... and not the sailing kind. **Note** Characters are OC's
1. Chapter 1 - Prologue

Prologue – Chapter One

Pieces of a shipwreck slowly drifted to the shore of the jungled island. The residents of the island were combing the shore gathering resources as they did every morning. A stir went up from one side of the shore, among the debris of the ship was a small child. She could be no older than six, with wild shoulder length brown hair and gold-green eyes. She was sitting on a piece of wood and clutching a small bag to herself. She blinked as the head of the island walked over. He stared at her and she just stared back at him.

"What shall we do with her, Head?" asked one of the random bystanders.

The head thought a moment, "We shall ask Draven for guidance. Bring her with us." he said after a while.

The villagers and the small girl went to an open shrine in the middle of the jungle. The villagers placed the girl in the middle of the shrine and began to chant in a half circle around the shrine. After a minute or so of chanting a large jaguar walked out of the jungle.

"Oh great Draven, we bring before you a child found amongst the shipwreck and beg you tell us what you will." The head said, bowing low with the rest of the villagers. The large cat and the child stared at each other, before the child grinned and suddenly turned into a saber-toothed kitten. The villagers all gasped.

"She has been blessed! Draven has spoken! Now we shall go and resume our work by your leave, oh Great One." The head said, bowing low again.

The jaguar watched the small kitten until the villagers were out of earshot. "How did you do that? I do not have that ability." He said in a deep rumbling voice.

"Dunno. Found out I could while drifting on the ocean." The kitten/girl said, watching her short tail flick side to side.

The leopard chuckled, "What is your name, child?"

"Dunno, never had anyone to tell me." She said still focusing on her tail.

"Then you shall be Arima from now on. Come, there is much you must learn." He rumbled and walked off into the woods, Arima following at his heels.

_**~10 Years Later~**_

Arima strolled into the small village in her mostly human form all the villagers moved aside and bowed to her. She walked up to one of the villagers and smiled at him, revealing long fangs.

"Hey old man, what meat have you got today?" she asked.

The man bowed to her and gave her free reign of his produce. She was munching on a fish when she overheard a couple of villagers talking.

"So, did you hear? The pirates are going wild over on the Grand Line."

"The Grand Line? Isn't that the current in the middle of the ocean with all those crazy strong people?"

"Yeah, you'd have to be insane to try and travel it."

"But I heard there was a great treasure at the end of it."

"The One Piece? Yeah, it's the pirate Roger's legacy."

"Still though, you'd have to face off against all those Marines and Bounty Hunters. Would it really be worth it?"

Arima grinned to herself, pirates sounded like fun. She strolled back out of the village and found Draven. "Hey, Draven! I'm gonna be a pirate!" she told him proudly.

He blinked at her, "Whatever you say, little one" he yawned.

_**~2 Years Later~**_

Arima watched the pirate ship approach the island. The symbol on the sails and on the front of the ship was a goat. She grinned to herself and jumped out of the tree she was in only to find Draven right in front of her.

"Er, hi?" she said.

Draven just stared at her, then he sighed. "You're leaving aren't you?"

"Yeah. Don't worry, I'll come back. ...eventually" she replied with a grin.

Draven only scoffed, "Just don't get caught." He said and walked off.

Arima grinned and made her way to the shore, padding along on silent cat feet. Once the pirates had mostly left their ship she stole on board and hid away in the storage, it amused her how easy it was to hide as a large saber-toothed cat on this ship. She didn't move from her spot until she felt the ship moving on the ocean again. Then she examined her surroundings. A wide grin spread her face when she discovered that she was hiding in the food storage room.

* * *

She woke up on a floating scrap of wood in a sea she did not recognize. The only thing she was sure of is that she had finally escaped the prison she had been accustomed to for the last 6 years. She craned her neck to see the beating sun on her face, and noticed it was about mid-day. The sea stone chains were tight around her wrists, so flying was clearly out of the question; she barely even had enough strength to stay awake and out of the water-which would be her death sentence. I guess she would have to wait until she floated to an island. She began to drift to sleep as she ruminated on her past, and how she ended up in this shitty situation.

Noel had grown up in a small town and lived with her mother, brother, and father for her entire life until her dad had gone off to join the marines. Something about pirates killing her grandfather, she was too young to remember; and when she got old enough to remember, her mother refused to speak of it. Noel had grown up admiring the marines as did her brother, even when her father's death was confirmed, she didn't blame the marines, only the filthy pirates that had murdered him. She even loathed pirates even more when her small village was overrun by the bloodthirsty bastards they were. After the pirates had pillaged and sucked the area dry, they took her brother and made him a slave to their ship. She decided to cut her hair and disguise herself as a guy, and purposefully let's herself get captured so she can save her brother.

She reveals herself to her brother, and they live together on the pirate ship for about 5 years. During these years on the boat, she learns how to fight; and despite her frail body, becomes stronger than most of the men on the ship. This earns her an esteemed status with the crew, becoming the little sister of the crew. Some of the crew members have devil fruit abilities, educating her on the different types and abilities. She dedicates her years on the ship to mastering fighting never forgetting her goals, and is constantly taking care of her younger brother who is living in fear and has no athletic ability what so ever. She begins to love the crew and the sea and figures out that they aren't all horrible monsters that she thought they were in the beginning.

After 5 long years, she is sent on a scouting party with some of her mates (including her brother) to go buy supplies in a well to do town along as scout out the area since pirates we not liked in this town. They spot a group of celestial dragons, and come up with a plan to steal supplies. Noel sneaks past the celestial dragons to where they are having a feast, and steals some food (one of which is a dragons devils fruit) and she eats it with her crew, but the celestials dragons discover its gone, and do a giant search to capture all of the pirates. When she goes to run away she jumps in the sea to swim, but sinks, separating herself from her brother.

She spends the next six years being a labor slave, but doesn't lose her spirit as she continues to grow stronger and find out her goals. She learns that celestial dragons killed her father and not pirates, because her dad opposed the celestial dragons slaving mermaids and other people. As she grows older her goal becomes to find her brother, and become strong enough to overtake the celestial dragons and the world government for killing her father. And to do so, she needs to find one piece and become the pirate king.

One day she hears some guards talking about the grand line while she is doing her labor for the day (she actually enjoys the labor to get stronger), and one of the ships is setting sail for it that night. That is the day she finalizes her escape. She has no idea where she is since she has been transported from island to island, and during the night, picks her cage lock, and stows away on the ship. While stowing away on the ship, it gets attacked by pirates, and set on fire. She escapes in the rubble, still cuffed.

The ship is shot down, and they presume her dead, but she manages to stay afloat on a drift wood where she is now, floating to where Arima is on her island.

* * *

Noel feels a jolt in her spine, and groggily lifts her head up to realize she has hit the side of a pirate ship docked at an island. A wide grin spreads across her face as she barely pulls herself in a port hole, plopping in the room below.

She drifts to a sound sleep as she had finally escaped her pursuers.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Meeting

Chapter 2 – The Meeting

Arima examined the room and took store of all the food in it. She frowned after a while, there wasn't enough meat by her standards. Oh well, it'd have to do. A noise made her ears twitch and she crouched down, to avoid getting caught. After a moment she realized the noise was someone sleeping.

She walked over to the noise and found a girl sleeping in handcuffs. Arima blinked as her short tail flicks side to side. She jumps onto the sleeping girl, puts her head under the girl's chin, and nuzzles the girl awake.

Noel had finally drifted off to a deep sleep, and was dreaming about floating on clouds trying to ignore the pungent smell of her wet clothes... The world came slowly into view as her eyes focused on the bright eyes of... A cat? She has either just been woken up by a cat or her senses have completely gone screwy... Either way she was pissed she was woken up, cat or no cat.

"Get off of me you stupid cat, I'm trying to get some sleep here. God, you wanna wake the entire freakin crew?"

Arima narrowed her eyes and growled lightly,

"Watch who you're calling stupid. I'm not the one who's soaked to the bone and only wearing rags." She huffed lightly, "You fall asleep like that and you're not likely to wake up. But hey, if you wanna die, suit yourself, more meat for me."

With that Arima stood up and turned away. She glanced back over her shoulder, "Oh, and if the entire crew woke up and barged in here, I'd just get rid of 'em." She said with a grin that suggested she'd find that entertaining.

Noel blinked twice and tried to clear her head. Was she just insulted by a cat? A taking cat? She glanced down at herself and took notice of her worn to the bone slave clothes, and the sea cuffs still tightly bound on her wrists- damn they were hurting. She began to call out to the cat, but it barely came out as a hoarse whisper.

"Hey wait, wait. I'm sorry." she couldn't believe she was actually going to ask for help, let alone from a cat. she got up on her hands and knees and began to crawl, taking notice at how hungry she was.

"Hey, can you help me get these off?" she raised up her cuffs, which dangled noisily in front of her.

Arima tilted her head and looked at the cuffs. "Shouldn't be too hard, I've ripped worse." She said as she reached out. She started to hook her claws under the cuffs, but as soon as she touched them she turned back to her fully human form. She yelped and quickly backpedaled away.

"What the hell was that?! How in the seven hells did that happen?" She hissed, and retorted to her half human form, cat ears poking out from her short, messy hair, and tail sliding out of her tight long pants. Her reappeared cat ears were pinned to her head and her tail had puffed slightly.

Noel sat and stared at her handcuffs, and a long streak of brown hair flopped in her dirty face. "What do you mean what was that? The sea-stone cuffs sedate your devils fruit. And why didn't you tell me you were a user? That would have been really helpful to know earlier so I wouldn't have woken up half crazy to the face of a cat."

Arima blinked, "A whosy whatsy now? Never heard of that. And whats wrong with waking up to a cat? You should be honored I'm even taking to you." Arima sniffed and walked away. She returned a moment later with a chunk of meat and handed it to Noel. "Eat, you look like you're gonna starve."

Noel eyed the meat and began to eat it ravishingly. "A devils fruit, you never heard of it?" she said, her mouth half full and spitting out chunks, "and you seem a bit on a high horse. Why the hell would I be honored to be speaking to a cat. Seems degrading if you ask me."

"Never in my life have I heard of that before. And what do you mean, why should you be honored? Cats are worshiped. Degrading would be worshiping a dog or some such." Arima said, munching on her own piece of meat.

"I have no idea where in the heck you came from, but that's not how the rest of the world works," Noel retorted, still munching on her meat. "And how have you never heard of a devils fruit? You are a user, you know. Haven't you ever noticed how you can't swim, can turn into a human-which is what you are.?"

"Then the rest of the world is retarded and I shall change it." Arima proclaimed. "It's a small island, Draven is the smartest one there and he can't be expected to know everything. Have you noticed I'm a cat? Cats do not really like water, dipshit" She muttered taking another bite of meat. "And yeah, I can turn into a human, but never really thought about it before. Humans are blind, and deaf for that matter."

Noel put down the remains of the eaten piece of meat, and quickly grabbed another piece, taking note of her worn nails. *sigh* "I know cats don't like water naturally, but what I'm talking about is different," trying to stay calm she added, "after eating the fruit you lose all ability to swim, and are completely useless in sea water or things containing its properties." She raises up her cuffs, the chain dangling in front of Arima's face. "Also, dipshit," using Arima's mocking tone, "there is a whole different world outside of that tiny ass island. Better get used to it and adapt."

Arima narrowed her eyes, "Look, I don't care what the world thinks, I can and will change it. Besides, you should be nicer to me. Or Ii might just decide not to help you get out of those cuffs, since I'm guessing you're one of these users too and those block your power or some such shit." She huffed.

Noel huffed out an angry breath. "Look miss superior cat or whatever, I didn't ask to be handcuffed and stuck in a god forsaken pirate ship with a human who thinks she's some jungle princess, but all I know is if I don't get out of these cuffs, when those pirates come down here and figure out I'm here, I'll be sure to the gods that I'll rat you out too; and I know you can't fight all of those pirates by yourself while surrounded by sea water. It's not like you can jump ship."

"Wanna bet?" Arima asked with a grin. "I'm pretty sure I could take those pirates myself. I'm insulted you think I'd hide though. And I'm not a jungle princess, I was just treated like all the cats were. Now, are you going to act nicely or are YOU going to act like a princess and just expect me to help you?" she asked, her grin gone.

"Pretty sure? That doesn't sound entirely confident," Noel spat, grin gone as well. "and I have no idea how cats were treated where ever you came from, but in the real world, they are treated like all other beastly animals are." Noel looked down, catching a glimpse of her hands. If only I didn't have these freakin cuffs on, I'd show this idiot who's who, she thought to herself. Noel let out a huge sigh, sucking in her pride-not that she ever had much, being a slave most of her life. "look, all I know is that neither of us can get control of this boat alone, but if we both fight these bastards will never know what hit them. As far as I'm concerned we are stuck which each other's help at the moment, princess."

Arima let out a slow breath, her eyes narrowed. "I understand that things are different in other places, but cats were once worshiped all over regardless. But you do make a good point about the boat." Arima's focus zeroed in on Noel's handcuffs, "Now how exactly do you expect me to get those offa you if I can't touch them?"

Noel nodded then scanned the room, happily thinking that she and the cat princess had finally made common ground about getting off the boat. "Ah, here." Noel whispered to the princess. She scooped up a shard of glass that had evidently once been a mirror, and tossed it over to the princess. "Ever try lock picking? Oh, and by the way, the names Noel, princess."

"Quit calling me princess, my name's Arima." She growled. "And glass would shatter before it would pick the lock." She said and tossed the glass aside where it shattered. Then she pulled a long, thin knife out of her boot and grabbed Noel's wrist. She shivered as the sea stone forced her back to human form. Then she fiddled the tip of the knife around the keyhole of the cuffs. After what felt like an hour, but was probably only a few minutes, the cuffs clicked open. Arima grinned triumphantly.

"OH THANK GOD," Noel yelled, probably too loud, but she didn't care. A wide grin spread on her face, relieved to be free of the cuffs. "Thanks prince- err- Arima, I owe you one." Noel glanced down at Arima and extended her hand, in hopes of a handshake.

Arima grinned in reply. Then she shook Noel's hand, "You better remember that you owe me." she teased lightly. Suddenly the door slammed open to reveal five pirates, all with weapons drawn. "Ne, looks like we're in for a little fun" Arima said, a feral grin splitting her face as she slid into a crouch.

Noel's head snapped to the door, then back at Arima, a menacing grin sprung across her face. "Oh, it looks like we are in for fun indeed," she growled, her claws beginning to come to form. "I'll take out the two on the left, you get the right, then we will jump the middle together, he looks a bit more experienced."

"Not that it'd matter if he was more experienced or not." Arima snickered. Then she jumped clear across the room and grabbed one of the guys by his neck. She swept his feet from him and threw him into his companion so hard they went through a few walls. Arima's grin widened and she flexed her hand, extending her claws more and cracking her knuckles. She looked back at Noel, "Your turn~" she said in a sing-song voice.

Noel couldn't help but bust out in laughter as her left hand fully formed into a sharp dragons claw. One of the men stood there, gaping at the hole where his friends once stood, whereas the other two stood there, weapons ready to strike. "Oh, it feels good being out of those chains," Noel triumphantly yelled as she lunged towards the two armed men, deftly dodging a side slash of the left man's axe, and jumping over the forward plunge of the right man's sword as she scraped her claws in an uppercut, opening the front of the latter man, flinging him up into the ceiling where he did not return. She then dove under the legs of the man with the axe, grabbed his neck with both her arms, and flung him over her head, crashing into the third who had been trying to compose himself, and flung both into the hole Arima had made just seconds prior. "you're right," Noel chuckled, "it really didn't matter."

Arima laughed, "We should try to get above deck soon. Or we'll probably wind up putting so many holes in this ship." she said, running a hand through her hair. "By the way, half your face has scales and you're starting to drool a little. Looks like it's eating through the floor a bit too." Arima added, examining the small spot of smoking floor.

Noel looked down, taking notice of the smoking floor. "Oh, shit," she mumbled, covering her mouth and returned to normal human form. "Stomach acid, helps ignite the flame when I need it. you know, makes it hotter. Sometimes I get excited and it just kind of. Plop." she said, bashfully rubbing the back of her head. "Not to mention I'm hungry, and you know it's terrible when a dragon gets hungry and I'm tired and- oh, I'm talking too much. Uh, cutting to the chase, I'm a fruit user, like you. Zoan type. Dragon user. Forgot to mention that earlier."

Arima snorted, "Plop? Very descriptive. But dragon huh? Didn't think dragons were actually real. Of course, saber-toothed cats are supposed to be extinct, so I'm not really one to talk. Still, should we try to find stairs or something?" Arima asked, stepping widely around the smoking floor. She hesitated a moment then ducked back into the storage room and came back with a large bag. "Food" She said by way of explanation.

"I didn't think they were real either.. That is until I ate this fruit. I guess after being a dragon half my life, seeing a fancy cat wasn't too hard to believe." Noel glanced around the room, glazing over the man hanging from the ceiling, and to the doorway through the smoke. "I guess we can just take the front door considering the whole ship probably knows we are on board.. Oh, and keep that bag of food, we might need it later."

MIGHT?" Arima snorted. "Please, you've never seen me eat. This is just a snack for me." She said, and sauntered through the front door only to stare straight down the barrel of a gun. She blinked, "Well alright then" And, faster than the normal eye could follow, her hand came up and her claws sank clean through the wrist holding the gun. She jerked the man in front of her and kicked him in the sternum, so that he flew clear off the side of the ship, leaving a stream of blood in his wake.

Noel followed Arima up the staircase, not fazed by the stream of blood left by the man she most likely just murdered. "Tchahaha, I don't doubt you could eat that whole bag in one quick sitting, so we better find more. You aren't half bad, princess." Noel had just finished uttering the last joyful word right before they both stepped onto the deck swarming with 15 more bloodthirsty pirates. "My god," she huffed, the scales forming on her cheeks once again, "what does it take to get some sleep around here?"

Arima grinned like a maniac, "You could let me handle this and take a nap, if ya like. I can deal with these guys easily." As if to prove her point she lunged across the deck turning full, giant, saber-toothed cat. She swung one of her paws and ripped open three of the men like they were butter. Then jumped, landed on one pirate crushing his ribs, and bit another one in his neck totally destroying it. She turned to face the remaining ten pirates and roared at them, making them take a step back in terror.

Noel stood still, hands on her hips while the blood bath casually took place. "Showing off eh?" She turned to the ten cowering pirates. "Boo." She laughed as she watched them jump into the crystal water below, one by one. "What do ya know, didn't even have to lift a finger." She pranced to the tip of the boat, and glanced over the front into the waves, no land as far as she could see. Great, the ship had left dock while she had fallen asleep. "I guess the ship is ours for now, princess, unless there are other pirates on board."

Arima shrugged after she turned back mostly human. She made a face then spat out some of the pirate's blood. After that was done with a wicked grin crossed her face and she started snickering, "Fifteen men on a dead man's chest, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum. Drink and the devil had done for the rest, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum." She sang. "Mmmm, rum sounds good right now."

Noel couldn't help but hum along to the catchy tune. Her eyes scanned the horizon, then back at Arima who was singing along peacefully. "Hey, Arima," she began, a hint of seriousness in her voice, "why did you leave your island?"

Arima looked at her and blinked. Then she tilted her head, "I just felt so ...suffocated. Everyone treated me like I could do no wrong, regardless of whatever I actually did. And I don't actually know where I came from, when i was little i showed up on a piece of shipwreck and i could already turn into a cat." Here she shrugged and turned back to the ocean. "I guess you could say, because i wanted to find out who I am, and what the world's like, and shit like that." she finished, then cast a side-long glance at Noel. "What about you?"

Noel stood in silence for a minute, soaking in what Arima had just said. "I uh," she began, "I guess you could say I'm looking for my family. My dad got killed by celestial dragons when I was a kid, and my brother and I got separated from my mom shortly after. I got sent to a labor camp after I ate my devils fruit, and have been planning my escape ever since... Until now. Now that I'm out I'm searching for one piece, as crazy as it sounds. To discover who I am, just like you. And to find my family again." A breeze picked up off of the bow, tossing Noel's hair in her icy blue eyes. She didn't seem to notice, she loved the wind.

"Damn. We could really use some rum now." Arima said, running a hand through her messy hair. There was a pause before she spoke again, "Hey, if you're looking for one piece mind if I join? I've got nothing better to do and you're pretty cool and neither of us will be able to make it alone." She said, staring intently at the sky.

Noel chuckled, "Everyone's got their own sob story I suppose." she looked up at the sky as well, as if trying to find what Arima was staring at. "Yeah, yeah I'd love that." suddenly there was a crashing sound inside of the boats interior that sent shivers up Noel's spine. "What the hell is that?!"


End file.
